Various types of swings are known. Typically, the swing includes a support frame, a hanger arm or arms pivotally attached to the support frame, and a seat attached to the hanger arm or arms. The swing also can include an electrically powered drive mechanism to move the swing seat in a back-and-forth motion.
Some swings include a seat back recline mechanism. The seat back of these swings can be adjusted to different recline angles relative to the seat bottom so that a caregiver can position the seat in various recline positions, including an upright position, a fully reclined position, or an intermediate position between the upright position and the fully reclined position, depending on the age and needs of the child. Older children may prefer a more upright position, while younger children with less neck control may prefer a more reclined position.
The seat back recline mechanism of one existing swing product includes a bent wire that travels along a slot or pair of slots formed as part of the seat back. The location of the wire in the slot determines the recline position of the swing seat. The wire can be mounted to hanger arms on either side of the seat back or to another suitable structure. To adjust the wire to a different recline location in the slot, a caregiver can use one hand to move the wire and the other hand to support the seat back. These wire arrangements are not intuitive or easy to operate for all caregivers.
A different seat back recline mechanism for a swing seat includes latches positioned on opposite sides of the seat back to engage latch-receiving ribs positioned on the hanger arms of the swing. The ribs correspond to different seat back recline angles. To change the recline angle of the seat back, a caregiver can grip the latches directly and re-position the latches against ribs corresponding to the desired seat back recline angle. This seat back recline mechanism can be awkward to operate for some caregivers.
There is a need for a swing with an improved seat back recline mechanism.